Book Review: 6th SS Mountain Division Nord at War 1941-1945, Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War Series) By Ian Baxter

Author: Ian Baxter

Publisher: Pen & Sword Military

Date of Review: 1 Aug 2022

6th SS Mountain Division Nord at War 1941-1945 was written by Ian Baxter in 2019. The version I reviewed was published by Pen and Sword Military, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, Emgland in 2019 and is 136 pages. The ISBN of this particular book is 978-1-52672-138-9. It is a paperback. The topic of the book is as the title suggests, is about the 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord from 1941-1945. The book is primarily a brief written narrative on the history of the unit, packed with many photos of the unit during their time in Norway and Finland. 

This book's primary audience is for those seeking a pictorial history of this unit. While the narrative does offer a history of the unit, the reader would be better served looking elsewhere for sourced information on the unit, such as Massimiliano Afiero’s “The 6th Waffen-SS.” This book did not offer any sources, and the history was somewhat on the light end. What they did offer though was many photos on the unit. It seems that all of these photos are from the units time in Norway and Finland. It did not appear that there were any photographs taken from the time of operation Nordwind. I purchased this book after having read other books in which the unit was mentioned. I was hoping to find out more about them. While I was pleased by the photos, I felt the narrative was lacking, and the lack of listing any sources for the limited narrative was also noted.

My main criticism of the book is the scant history that was offered on the unit without source information. This could have been easily remedied but for some reason the author chose not to do so. I did appreciate the many photographs of the unit showing everything from battle action shots to the mundane chores of sorting mail and grouping up before a march. They all offer some insight to the unit. The book is primarily a photo essay. The photographs are all black and white, and appear only to cover operations in Norway and Finland. 

The book is divided into four chapters and five appendixes. Included with the text are a single map, many photographs, an order of battle and list of commanders that support the narrative for the reader. The map is a single map of Norway, Finland and the USSR. It is of little detail, and of little use. There was no attempt to include a map of Nordwind or the final movements of the division in May of 1945. Orders of battle and commanders list: These are provided without source information. 

If you are seeking a detailed history of the 6. Waffen-SS unit, I would suggest that other books would better meet your needs. If you have collected the limited information available on this unit, and wish to include a good set of photographs for reference, than this is your book. I give the book two stars for the narrative, and four stars for the many unique and historical photographs. I will overall give it three stars.

Books added for 30 September 2022.

In the process of adding books to the bibliography, I decided to knock out a shelf in my office. The following will be added to the bibliography. This adds another thirty one titles to the bibliography.

Bishop, Chris. Order of Battle, German Infantry in WWII. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-905704-85-9.

Booth, Terrence. Handbook of WWII German Military Symbols & Abbreviations 1943-45. West Midlands, England: Helion and Company, 2001. ISBN: 0-7394-3186-2. 

Buchner, Alex. The German Infantry Handbook 1939-1945, Organization, Uniforms, Weapons, Equipment, Operations. West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1991. ISBN: 0-88740-284-4.

 

Cole, Lowry. The German Army 1933-1945 An Order of Battle Volume V. Mobile, AL: Military Press International, 1999. ISBN: 0-85420162-9.

Condell, Bruce and David T. Zabecki. On the German Art of War Truppenführung. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001. ISBN: 1-55587-996-9

Davis, Brian L and Malcolm McGregor. Flags of the Third Reich 1: Wehrmacht (Men-At-Arms Series 270). London: Osprey Military, 1994. ISBN: 1 85532 446 6.

Hartmann, Theodor. Wehrmacht Divisional Signs 1938=1945. London: Alamark Publishing Co., 1970. ISBN: 0 85524 007 5.

Haskew, Michael E. The Wehrmacht 1935-1945, The Essential Facts and Figures for Hitler’s Germany (World War II Data Book). London: Amber Books, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-907446-95-5. 

Hogg, Ian V. German Order of Battle 1944. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., 1975. ISBN: 0-88254-355-5.

Kershaw, Ian. The End, The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1944-1945. New York: The Penguin Group, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-14-312213-5. 

Kurowski, Franz. Infantry Aces, The German Soldier in Combat in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3202-4.

Lucas, James. German Army Handbook 1939-1945. Stroud, United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN: 0-7509-1622-2. 

MacDonogh, Giles. After the Reich, The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation. New York: Basic Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-465-00337-2.

Madej, W. Victor. German Army Order of Battle: Field Army and Officer Corps 1939-1945. Allentown, PA: Game Publishing Company, 1985. ISBN: 0-941052-24-9.

McCroden, William T. and Thomas E. Nutter. German Ground Forces of World War II, Complete Orders of Battle for Army Groups, Armies, Army Corps, and Other Commands of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS, September 1, 1939, to May 8, 1945. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2019. ISBN: 9781611211092.

Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. Crumbling Empire, The German Defeat in the East, 1944. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers, 2001. ISBN: 0-275-96856-1.

Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. German Order of Battle, Volume One: 1st-290th Infantry Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3416-1.

Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. German Order of Battle, Volume Two: 291st-999th Infantry Divisions, Named Infantry Divisions, and Special Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3416-5.

Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. German Order of Battle, Volume Three: Panzer, Panzer Grenadier, and Waffen SS Divisions in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-8117-3438-7.

Nafziger, George F. Bulgarian Order of Battle World War II, An Organizational History of the Bulgarian Army in World War II. Pisgah, OH: Privately Published, 1995.

Nafziger, George F. The German Order of Battle, Infantry in World War II. London: Greenhill Books, 2000. ISBN: 1-85367-393-5.

Nafziger, George F. The German Order of Battle, Panzers and Artillery in World War II. London: Greenhill Books, 1999. ISBN: 1-85367-359-5.

Nafziger, George F. The German Order of Battle, Waffen SS and Other Units in World War II. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing, 1999. ISBN: 1-58097-058-3.

Newton, Steven H. German Battle Tactics on the Russian Front 1941-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1994. ISBN: 0-88740-582-7.

Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume I - Germany. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 978-1-4120-7498-8.

Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume V - Book A Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4251-0281-9.

Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume V - Book B Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4269-2251-0.

Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume VII - Germany’s and Imperial Japan’s Allies & Puppet States. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2012. ISBN: 978-1-4669-0350-0.

Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II, Volume IX - The Overrun & Neutral Nations of Europe and Latin American Allies. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-4907-3386-9.

Westwood, David. The German Army 1933-1945 An Order of Battle Volume 1: The High Commands and Departments and the Wehrkreise. Mobile, AL: Military Press International, 1997. ISBN: 0-85420-044-4.

Westwood, David. The German Army 1933-1945 An Order of Battle Volume II: Army Groups, Armies, Army Task Forces and Army Detachments. Mobile, AL: Military Press International, 1998. ISBN: 0-85420-116-5.

Adding the books I use for my research...

I have added five more books to the bibliography this afternoon. Since I have close to four hundred books, this will take a while.

Chant, Christopher, The Encyclopedia of Code Names of World War II. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. ISBN: 0-7102-0718-2.

Kurowski, Franz. Hitler’s Last Bastion, The Final Battles for the Reich, 1944-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN: 0-7643-05448-4. 

Kurowski, Franz. Panzer-Grenadier Aces, German Mechanized Infantrymen in WWII. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-8117-0656-8.

Whiting, Charles. Disaster at Kasserine: Ike and the 1st (US) Army in North Africa 1943. Yorkshire: Leo Cooper, 1984. ISBN: 0 85052 982 4.

Zumbro, Derek S. Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army’s Final Defeat in the West. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-7006-1490-5.

Bibliography

Following are some of the books I use for reference material on this website. I will add more, but for now, these are the first five books posted to the website:

The full library is found here.

Bender, Roger James and George A. Petersen. "Hermann Göring:" From Regiment to Fallschirmjpanzerkorps. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1993. ISBN: 0--88740-473-1.

Bender, Roger James and Hugh Page Taylor. Uniforms, Organization and History of the Waffen-SS (vol. 1). Mountain View, CA: R. James Bender Publishing, 1971.  

Forty, George. The Reich's Last Gamble, The Ardennes Offensive, December 1944. London: Cassell & Co., 2000. ISBN: 0-304-3582-09. 

Toland, John. Battle, The Story of the Bulge, An hour-by-hour reconstruction of the most dramatic and controversial battle of World War II. New York: Random House, 1959. ISBN: 0-7394-0307-9.

Zoepf, Wolf T. Seven Days in January, With the 6th SS-Mountain Division in Operation Nordwind. Bedford, PA: The Aberjona Press, 2001. ISBN: 0-9666389-5-6.